Willard/iStock(NEW YORK) — ESPN reports Manny Machado, regarded as one of the top free agents in all of baseball this offseason, has reached a record deal to join the San Diego Padres. The contract is the biggest in American sports history, worth $300 million over ten years.
Machado split time with the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018, hitting .297/.367/.538 with 37 home runs and 107 RBI. The 26-year-old was traded to Los Angeles ahead of last season’s trade deadline in a blockbuster transaction.
He had many big moments for the Dodgers and helped lift the team to a World Series appearance, but drew harsh criticism from fans and the media about hustling. He told Fox Sports during the 2018 postseason, after being chastised for not running full speed down to first base on plays, that hustling was “not my cup of tea.”
Machado is a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner at third base, though his preferred position is shortstop.
The 26-year-old former top draft pick played five full seasons in Baltimore before last year’s trade. He is the second high profile free agent to join the Padres in the past two winters, joining first baseman Eric Hosmer, who agreed to an eight-year, $144 million contract last year.
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